Biography
Renée Chenault Fattah is a lawyer, broadcast journalist and filmmaker having recently made the documentary, In Our Right Mind: Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias’ Impact on Communities of Color. Her film led to advocacy roles at the legal non-profit, SeniorLAW Center.
Chenault Fattah is currently the Executive Director of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity. She is also one of Philadelphia’s best known journalists, having served as the evening and weekday news co-anchor for NBC10 for close to 25 years. She earned her BA in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and began her career in law, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, working at Hughes Hubbard & Reed in New York City, and clerking for the late Judge Damon Keith on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Chenault Fattah also earned a Masters of Arts in Journalism from the University of Missouri. Notable stories she covered in her broadcast career include the O.J. Simpson trials, political conventions, and the school shooting massacre in Littleton, Colorado, her hometown. In 2009, Chenault Fattah was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame.
An active member of the community, she speaks at local schools, church congregations and civic organizations about law, health disparities and ethics. Chenault Fattah currently serves as a trustee of Johns Hopkins University and is a former trustee of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity. She is currently a member of the advisory council to The Hastings Center, a bioethics research center and is a member of the PennTowne Links, Inc.
Current Employment
Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, Philadelphia, PA
Executive Director
SeniorLAW Center, Philadelphia, PA
Director of Pro Bono Action for Community Impact
Television Experience
NBC Universal, Philadelphia, PA 1991 - 2015
Anchor - Reporter
WXIA-NBC, Atlanta, GA 1990 - 1991
Reporter
Fox Network, Los Angeles, CA 1989 - 1990
Science Correspondent
WTEN, Albany, NY 1988 - 1989
Science Correspondent
PBS NJN, Trenton, NJ 1987 – 1988
Field Producer and Anchor
Legal Experience
Hughes, Hubbard, Reed, NY, NY 1982 - 1988
Litigation Associate
U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit, Detroit, MI 1983 - 1985
Law Clerk for Hon. Damon J. Keith
Affiliations
Awards & Honors (Partial list)
Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame Award for Lifetime Achievement
in Broadcasting Communications
Lincoln University Lion Award in Media
West Chester University of Pennsylvania Patricia Grasty Gaines Endowment Award for Multicultural Education
University of Pennsylvania Alumni Award of Merit
Johns Hopkins Society of Black Alumni President’s Award
White and Williams LPP Virginia Barton Wallace Award for
Journalism Excellence
Philadelphia City Council Citation for Commitment to Community Service in Support of DeSean Jackson Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Kappa Community Development Corporation African American Women Achiever Award
YMCA Philadelphia Outstanding Achiever Communications Award
Joan Shepp Women in the Media of Substance and Style
Black History Month Award
Education
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science
University of Pennsylvania School of Law, Philadelphia, PA
Juris Doctor
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Master of Arts - Journalism
Johns Hopkins University - Trustee 2012 - Present
Philadelphia Museum of Art - Trustee 2003 – Present
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy - Trustee 2010 - Present
New York Bar Association 1983 (Admitted)
Professional Appearances (Partial list)
Women in Tech Summit, Philadelphia, PA
Keynote Speaker
University of Pennsylvania Women of Color Conference, Philadelphia, PA
Keynote Speaker
Lutheran Seminary Women's Health Summit, Philadelphia, PA
Keynote Speaker
Moore College of Art and Design Women's Leadership Conference, Philadelphia, PA
Keynote Speaker
Strayer University, Philadelphia, PA
Commencement Speaker
Girard College, Philadelphia, PA
Commencement Speaker
